Scroll down and read the comments section to enjoy all of the submissions.
What has no subject one can tell,
Yet tries to make it ring a bell?
What makes you scratch your head and think,
“How does this blather even link?”
RULES: Write a rhyming riddle of any length and paste it in the comments section below with your name and area of residence, such as “John Smith, Colorado, USA.” Do not include the answer. Let people guess and then respond with the answer at your discretion. Two submissions per contestant. No submission fee. See our Riddles Section for inspiration. Nothing dirty, please.
DEADLINE: July 31 midnight EST. Winners announced August 13.
PRIZE: $100
JUDGE: Advisory Board members will judge (those who choose not to participate in judging may participate in the contest)
Zachary Dilks
Austin,Texas
In truth, it’s plain to see
You are, but rarely are we
This is a tough one, Zachary. My instinct is that the answer has to do with letters of the alphabet. Not sure which person is being referred to, the You (letter U) or the We (YO), but I’ll guess the latter.
Sorry, no.
Guessing again, Zachary… Alone?
It’s not alone
Sigh, I’m giving up!
Never give up!
Really appreciate your sense of humor. I would say you are referring to the “light” which is plain and it is rare to match any other thing with that.
Sorry, it’s not light. Try again though. I might give a hint though. The brevity makes it vague.
Here’s a hint to get people guessing again, ignore the first line, it’s only meant to trip you up and to complete the rhyme.
Maybe “singular”?
Close, TDZ, but not on the money.
Alone
Also close, Rohini. You and TDZ are in the right neighborhood.
Okay one last attempt… solitary?
You’re dancing around it Rohini. You’re hitting synonyms.
lonely?
Sorry, Ram. You’re very close though. Reminds me of a song
ONE
The attitude: “I’m always right which means you rarely are?”
Sorry Charlie that’s incorrect.
ONE (not sure if you’d see the comment on the other person’s guess)
“One” is correct, Caroline!
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!! I needed the song hint. Alone, Solitary, Lonely…. “One is the Loneliest Number” 🙂
Congratulations to Caroline! There is something very clever here. I was stuck on the idea of singular and plural, but the poem says “rarely are we”. “We” is never singular, but “rarely” the pronoun may refer to “one” person, as in the case of a monarch. Well done! Fun guessing!
Thanks TDZ. Very challenging and I wouldn’t have gotten it without other people’s guesses leading me there.
Congratulations Caroline! Good one Zachary. It sure had us all guessing.
Thanks all! I’m glad you all enjoyed it and it stumped you. TDZ, you summed it up perfectly.
We eat it hot, we eat it cold,
And sometimes we eat it with mold.
It’s hard, it’s soft and in between,
If we’re asked to do this-it isn’t mean.
The Brits say it for a bit of wind,
Others talk about it when we grin.
Bars, balls or giant wheels,
Or someone who doesn’t act real
Now that’s a lot of clues, you see
So what is the answer to this riddle, please?
Cheese?
Cute Jennifer. the answer is cheese or cheesy.
Yes, it is.
It seems to me there’s something strong
that weighs on you and me alike;
a force that presses down along
each surface that our feet will strike.
This strange phenomenon appears
as apples fall from autumn trees;
it took Sir Isaac Newton years
to realize it’s not the breeze.
It’s like we’re drawn magnetically
toward the center of the earth,
so things can move kinetically
beginning from the point of birth.
That’s a classy piece, Caroline.
Even without the prevailing riddle, it stands up as a strong, disciplined poem.
But given that there IS also a riddle; well, it almost defies gravity.
Yes Monty. It is rated E for Easy, but I’m pretty fond of the poem. I can’t say that I prepared this one for the contest though. I wrote it earlier this year and I have to say it is a crowd-pleaser for the open mic set. I sent it out for publication, but had no takers so thought it would be a fun contribution.
The name for this sonnet in iambic tetrameter is “A Strange Phenomenon” and the final couplet goes like this:
“To sum it up with brevity,
the word they use is Gravity!”
Gravity?
Yeah, gravity, Jen; as in the riddle contained in Caroline’s poem. Instead of just blurting out the answer; I thought it’d be more imaginative to instead slip it into a sentence.
Exactly. Easy enough to confidently guess!
Final couplet in the rhyme:
“To sum it up with brevity,
the word they use is Gravity!”
I must say, Caroline: I’m glad I first saw yer poem ‘without’ the final couplet . . which I feel to be superfluous. There are enough (practically giveaway) clues throughout the piece; the answer doesn’t need to be there. Don’t be enticed into the popularity (or some may say, monotony) of the sonnet.
Like ya say: it IS an easy riddle to grasp, which I feel is rather fitting . . ‘cos one is thus able to concentrate their enjoyment on the poem, and not necessarily the riddle. The poem deserves that . .
Thank you, Monty.
For the sake of brevity
My answer: gravity
Yes!
What do you loose when youstand up? And find when you sit and nap?
Your lap!
Beverly,
You included the answer in the question! 🙂
J.E.
Entry #2 – This one I just crafted so I can claim I wrote it specifically for the challenge – less structured than #1 and the answer is not part of the poem. Also very easy and fun.
I can be dark as night or somewhat fair;
sometimes I’m barely even there.
I can be curled or even pinned,
easily tossed about by wind.
I take on shapes of many sorts,
in many lengths from long to short.
To keep down the stress
when you’re dressed to impress,
I can be worn straight
or pressed into plaits,
repeatedly teased
if the wearer’s so pleased
or sculpted and sprayed
to keep strays at bay.
Some will flinch with every break,
as if the entire world’s at stake,
but knowing this much to be true –
I can confidently promise you –
that no one set is ever the same.
So can you guess? What is my name?
Hair
Yep. Can’t wait to find out yours.
He was an entrepreneur who chartered a ship
To transport prospective immigrants across the Pacific.
On arrival at his destination, he was very optimistic,
But at the Landing Dock he was not given a permit.
What is the name of this entrepreneur?
This ship made a voyage from Hong Kong
Across the Pacific Ocean over a week long;
It reached its destination, but could not land,
As the chartered owner did not have permission.
What is the name of the ship?
Leonard Dabydeen, Ontario, Canada
Leonard,
Could this be Gurdit Singh of the Komagata Maru, who was denied entrance into Canada in 1914? I had to check the history books on this one!
Amy Foreman, Cascabel, Arizona
Capricious, shifting to-and-fro,
I’m sometimes fast and sometimes slow;
I’ve been around since long ago,
Yet I’m the one you cannot know.
A little of me lulls to sleep,
And when I stop, the sailors weep.
Too strong, and things lie in a heap:
The mess I make is never cheap.
I’ll make you open windows wide,
Then slam them shut and stay inside.
On my account, will you decide
To button up, or bare your hide.
You’ll never see me with your eye,
And yet you’ll know when I pass by,
For rustling leaves will testify
When through the arbor, soft, I fly.
I’m going with wind
Bingo, Zachary. 🙂
I guessed wind too. Anyway I loved the poem.
Thank you, Rohini!
Riddle #1
At first glance, I fill your heart with delight;
For me, all the world’s men with surely fight!
I make or break every nation
And back every celebration.
But, on my second note, I like secrets
And what’s precious.
My friends and I help to protect
Everything from bike to diamond necklace.
The company I keep is between two and four.
Never less, never more.
At first, I was scared of their teeth and claws,
But now I do follow their woodland laws.
– Dylan R.T. Gibbons, Toronto, Canada
Riddle #1
At first glance, I fill your heart with delight;
For me, all the world’s men will surely fight!
I make or break every nation
And back every celebration.
But, on my second note, I like secrets
And what’s precious.
My friends and I help to protect
Everything from bike to diamond necklace.
The company I keep is between two and four.
Never less, never more.
At first, I was scared of their teeth and claws,
But now I do follow their woodland laws.
– Dylan R.T. Gibbons, Toronto, Canada
*Repost as autocorrect changed a “will” to a “with”*
Silver?
I guess you’re looking for a group – precious metals?
Hi Caroline,
Each stanza has a separate riddle which contributes to the whole. As a hint, the answer to the first stanza is ‘gold’.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears?!
Correct! Good job, Caroline.
Connor Rosemond, North Carolina, USA.
What pounds and plods as if with toes,
And utilizes stress?
What’s out of favor, out of style,
Yet we use, neverthless?
Riddle #1. Difficulty: Easy!
Please excuse my typo in the final line; “neverthless” should be corrected to “nevertheless”.
Poetic metre?
Good job J.E. Prittle! I think you nailed it. I had no idea but am slapping my forehead because it seems so obvious now – metrical feet – it makes absolute sense.
Correct!
Connor Rosemond, North Carolina, USA.
This witty thinker wrought his mind
Semantically and frantically!
If language is a game confined,
This verse flaunts his philosophy.
Riddle #2. Difficulty: Hard!
Witt-y thinker… Language game… clever! The answer is German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, yes?
Spot on, Troy! He’s one of the more fascinating philosophers to me.
Not gal… not guy… this I belie. On wind I fly (though no physique).
You can’t see me. I’m absentee. Though I agree, my answers weak.
I may reprise and minimize then neutralize the things you speak.
Joe Quintanilla
Mangilao, Guam, USA
An echo?
Yes!
What others rarely see
it’s this you show to me
be you a nobody
or be of you a king.
Confessional… close door…
to me you then outpour…
release what you deplore
with kiss upon my ring.
Don’t need your resume.
Not lengthy is your stay.
It’s best you not delay.
Conclude with a wellspring.
Joe Quintanilla
Mangilao, Guam, USA
The final two lines of the first stanza lead me to believe it is related to death, or perhaps vice. Is it “sin”?
Not what I was going for, no. Hint?
Yes, hint please!
Honesty?
It very well may be that I’m just not great at making riddles. Anyway…
Hint: “Kiss” is not literal, while “ring” is literal butt maybe not the ring you’re thinking of.
Oh… sorry… no, “honesty” is honestly not what I was going for.
Is it a toilet?
Ha! I was beginning to wonder if maybe my riddle skills needed as much work as my poetic skills. A toilet it is! (Does that break the rules of keeping it clean?)
What has two score minus two lines,
No intended scheme of rhymes,
Naught but six seedlings for each ending,
And a complex algorithm to guide one’s wending?
A sestina
My guess too. Is his riddle a sestina? Clever if so!
my guess is a sestina, too !
What runs fast and slow?
And we all really do know
It has no legs big or small;
Some are short; some tall.
Candle?
car
Clock arms?
I’m going with clock too.
The ____ is a little thing,
it has no tail, it has no wing.
It has no arms, it has no feet,
it has no height; it’s quite petite.
The ____is seen here and there;
it can be seen most everywhere.
It can be seen on leaves and trees,
it can be seen on wind and breeze.
The ____isn’t square or round,
it makes no noise; no single sound.
It makes its home wherever it’s at;
on a cat, or on a mat.
It makes its home upon a shelf
with other things, or by itself.
The ____isn’t what you think;
it’s not a drink or the kitchen sink.
It’s not the shadow on the silvery moon,
it’s not the bottom of a red balloon.
The ____’s not a girl or boy,
it’s not a ball or any toy.
It isn’t hers, it isn’t his,
it’s not what you might think it is.
The ____isn’t rocky or rough,
it’s small enough and tall enough.
It really is the proper size
it’s really right before your eyes.
But what IS IT; this____ here?
Is it part of the atmosphere?
I won’t tell you the answer now..
but I’m sure you’ll guess it, anyhow……
Dust?
You got it! But I hope it made you think a while..
Air?
Almost but not quite..
Whether one of the wise or a deliberate fool,
unless you are half of the rarest jewel
you gradually come to understand
things certainly won’t go as planned.
It’s not a husband or a wife
who’ll stay with you all of your life.
Not any other person, realistically or actually.
Neither dog, statistically, nor cat, factually,
or lover, friend, bird, or turtle.
Sorry – this might hurt a little.
It is by no means a multiple-choice question,
and may give you a headache, or indigestion.
Whether diagnosed with perfect health or cancer,
it’s true-or-false and you know the answer.
“Neither dog, statistically, nor cat, factually” was very funny. I don’t know why, but my guess is leaning towards hope.
That is incorrect sir
True?!
No, wait! It’s false! My thinking got turned around because the poem tells us what the answer is not.
What has love but does not adore?
It has box but does not restore,
It has no shape but fits in a ring,
It’s a no dance but used to swing.
Monching Llena
Philippines
I have two guesses and the first is locket.
Due to my bipolar presence, I am both stormy and passive,
With solar winds and lunar lures, my surf-face rarely placid.
Fueling terrestrial climate, my wind and water are indispensable,
Even if at times, their devastation’s indefensible.
I’m a beautiful beast of nature, who only remains the same by changing,
With my tempests, tides, and streams that I’m continually rearranging.
My forces aren’t hormonal, they’re by-products of a shared environment,
As a result the exchanges induced are passionate and violent.
I want to say earth, but I feel like I’m wrong. But I’m still going with earth.
The Moon?
The tide?
Zachary Dilks
Austin, Texas
That’s just like me to set down roots
Wherever I go
Is wherever I grow
They’ll whisper me wishes and give the boot
To carry their secrets wherever I blow
Dandelion
Rohini, that’s correct
When I look around the vast Creation
It alerts the ‘Poet’ in me with Inspiration
I am before the Creator in Profound Adoration
Composing a song of a new Creation
The hymn How great thou art
Poetry?
Three poems submitted
Poetic Riddle
You can hear me in the canyons,
But not upon the sea,
The most likely of companions
If you but cry to me.
Bruce Wren, Chicago
Is it an echo?
Got it.
Your right is my left, your left is my right,
No one can see me when there is no light.
When you cry, I cry, when you smile, I smile,
Whatever you do, I do it in style!
Your moves and actions, I capture with ease,
Your words I can’t match, I can’t speak back please!
I am not your lost twin, I am not your soulmate,
How then your actions, I do emulate?
You check with me to make sure you are fine,
Who am I ? tell me, while there is sunshine!
Just to add: I am Ram from Mumbai, India
Shadow
No it is not a shadow
Shadow
No it is not a shadow
reflection?
ah, yes! It is a mirror image
Riddle
He was a mover, he was a shaker,
He was a poet extraordinaire,
His words have journeyed across the ages,
And keep the readers turning the pages!
Make a move, throw a weapon add an e
If you don’t find his name, just call me!
Name the movement of your head when saying “no”,
What’s the weapon, while hunting, people throw?
There! You have the name of the famous bard!
Surely now, that wasn’t really hard?
Ram, Mumbai, India
Shakespeare
Yes, Rohini! You got it!
Yes, Rohini! You got it!
I’ve never been exactly sure
How long I’ve been on this old earth;
It sometimes seems it’s not much less
Than Man himself has held tenure.
I’ve took on many forms since birth
To keep abreast with Man’s progress:
And took on many colours since
My nascent hue of bluey-black.
I started life in feathers, which
Necessitated many stints
In pots and wells (both with a lack
Of water). I then made the switch
To fountains (which also contained
No water). Since those days, my role
Has changed to stay by Man employed;
In recent times he’s even trained
Me to work with jets. And a whole
New role began when redeployed
By Man (lest he makes a blunder)
To render me invisible!
I still retain my centuries-old
Propensity to get under
Man’s skin . . and it is risible
The cash he’ll pay for this, I’m told.
I’d like to think I’m here to stay,
But Man’s existence seems to be
Under threat. Well, if that’s the case,
I wonder if there’ll come a day
When Monkeys learn to work with me . .
I could outlive the Human-Race!
Monty
Provence (France)
Pen?
Pen or ink?
Well played, Ram . . it is ink.
There were clues aplenty:
‘feathers’ (quills, before pens)
ink ‘wells’
ink ‘pots’
‘fountain’ pens
ink ‘jets’
‘invisible’ ink
‘under Man’s skin’ (tatoos)
Thank you Monty, Yes the poem was peppered with enough clues.. but what I really liked was that they were carefully woven into the narrative!
Oil/petroleum
The Riddle That Unites Us
By Lawal Jimoh, LJ, L27
Like rain to land, bow to arrows;
reflection, gives the sight in rows,
appreciates colours you and I.
What waves the sky the spectral hi?
–Lawal Jimoh Ishola, “The Riddle That Unites Us”
Lawal Jimoh, Lagos, NG
Rainbow?
Yes! Like RAIN to Land, BOW to Arrows…
You are “Landarrows”. Perfectly beautiful.
I think I have gotten you for Physics.
You may check the link below my first quote bears awesome you: https://smartbankquotes.blogspot.com
Riddle Royal
By Lawal Jimoh, LJ, L27
Outside: Still Reigning door, I knock.
Inside: My answer pulls some tasks.
Outside: Your question Winds or asks,
Inside: Whose watch is Gin O’Clock?
–Lawal Jimoh Ishola, “Riddle Royal”
Lawal Jimoh, Lagos, Nigeria
T.D.Z., New Jersey
A creature, I, trained to keep,
The time. I fly to make you weep,
To cover you with mountain deep.
A shell I bear, or two, or three,
And since we’re counting, let me see…,
Forever counting won’t count me!
T.D.Z.
New Jersey
Who is the Lonely Heart?
I caught a lonely heart one summer night,
As he lit up for the lady in the wings,
Beguiled,I admit, by his phosphorescent light,
I succumbed to my weakness for hexapodal things.
I trapped him, though tenderly, a prize in my glass,
And demanded that his love-light flash for me,
Alas, he demurred, his beloved in the grass,
Alone could summon such technology.
Sighing, I tipped the solemn fellow out,
“Free at last!”, did he exclaim and fly away,
Directly, post haste, to the beacon of his heart
Without bidding me adieu with courtesy?
Nay, he beamed kindly in my direction,
Lest I feel keenly the sting of rejection.
A firefly
Yes, that’s right! Thank you for reading my riddle. Yours looks much harder.
What are you?
Blue or brown or green or grey
Are you a flower?
Yea and nay!
You do not teach
You do not preach
Yet, if I’m right
You control the light
Found on every creature’s face
Especially the human race
But, as a flower this is true
Most often, you’ll be wearing blue
Iris (the colored part of the eye)?
Correct!
Name the Snake and the Country
By John Kolyav, Kottayam, India
Into three parts cut a snake
And the end pieces you take
Invert the head, stick to the tail
And get a country’s name-don’t fail!
Anaconda = Canada?
Yes! Perfect! Thank you very much dear Terence Marin. I was unable to check emails or website for a few days. Extremely sorry for the delay in responding.
Who am I?
John Kolyav, Kottayam, India
I can change my color so oft
And my body is very soft
I have jet but not a rocket
Ink I use though not a poet
I have many buttons but no shirt
And forcefully water I can squirt
A squid?
You are right, dear Charlie Bauer! Thank you. I meant octopus, however.
Bernnard Austin, Lagos , Nigeria
I loudly swear and I curse
Did I leave them in my purse?
Are they behind the sofa, under the bed?
Oh there they are – on my head!
Your spectacles
Man’s New Best Friend
A man’s best friend has ceased to be a dog;
When women wear it men’s minds start to fog.
I tried but couldn’t. Is it mirror?
Good guess John! It’s not a mirror; it’s worn, but not on the head.
Start with plants from the marshes,
But sold at stores in batches
Used in Thanksgiving choices—
Yams and jello cause comas—
‘Round fire on a branch blazes.
Crackers, candy, who wants s’more?
I’ll take four for lunches
Marshmallow
Got it in one! I’ve been surprised at how many people were thrown off by the first line.
When used as I should, I hammer the ground;
I’m hanged upside down if ever I’m found.
What am I?
RIDDLE#1
As the winters come to pass
I ride, ride fast,
often too fast to stop and think
how the past has passsed in an eye’s blink.
When the fruits ripen in May
and the sun dries the clay
and the trees shed their leaves
I am like a boat that far away flees.
I am a thief with a precious booty
yet I am free to gaze at beauty.
Only eternity can defy me,
not you man, you can’t defy me.
Irene Lupini, Italy
*passed
Time
yep
RIDDLE#2
Peacock feathers’ beauty is eclipsed
roses’ fragrant smell is not as sweet
the nightingale’s songs are, if compared, discrete.
Isn’t she who our soul has often kissed?
A sharp sight and a keen mind
will, aye, unveil the mystery enshrined.
Irene Lupini, Italy
1
More vigorously flies what
as the winds increase a lot.
But then goes not any further
despite the displayed vigor?
2
Some folks lose it quite often;
before you can count to ten.
And it cannot ever be found
Despite all the din and sound.
1 sail and, 2 temper?
Generations: An Interactive Riddle
(Who are “you” and “I”?)
Your Great-Gran’ was a prisoner and spent
Both day and night bound by a (double) chain.
Flies on the wall would swear he never went
Anywhere. But he didn’t need a plane
To fly me to the farthest continent,
Nor liberty to lead me down the lane.
Your Gran’ (a wizard too) would, in the car,
Lose all his magic powers, so I’d walk
Around with him indoors. His repertoire
Of words was not his own. That didn’t shock
A single soul, though: Whose words ever are?
And flies on walls would swear he loved to talk.
Unchained but bound together, you and I
Now take each other anywhere we care
To go (and any way: We even fly
On aeroplanes as one). With ample air
There’s ample magic, too, for those who buy.
Lately, though, it seems that everywhere
We go together (even in the sky),
Neither one of us is really there.
Envoi
If searching souls should find this riddle and
not print it out, nor read it on a screen
that’s wider than a palm (as I have planned
for most), here’s one more hint to what I mean:
As eyes peruse the problem now in hand,
“I’s” also hold the answer, in between.
(If even still souls do not understand:
Solutions might be felt as well as seen.)
Your cell/ Mobile phone
Sounds right when you try this out with all the clues in the riddle–especially if you happen to be reading the text of the riddle in such a device! Thanks for checking in, Rhini Sunderam.
–jbn
Communication and understanding?
Wow, it’s about Him!
He is a friend and foe
that we all somehow know…
He pre-dates our air, water and land
yet at our feet He will lay His Sand…
He has hands and yet never claps,
He is awake and never naps…
the answer He will tell as He never lies
for He is the true father that never dies,
people have tried to have Him freeze, waste and burn,
He was the subject of the song “turn, turn, turn”…
if you can ID this fair man please make haste and drop a dime,
also know that this great equalizer’s name must rhyme with rhyme.
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 1986-2018. Alan Salé
PoetryByAlan.com
Time!
Wow, it’s about Him!
He’s a friend and a foe
that we all somehow know…
He pre-dates our air, water and land
yet at our feet He will lay His Sand…
He has hands and yet never claps,
He’s awake and never naps…
the answer He will tell as He never lies
for He is the true father that never dies,
people have tried to have Him freeze, waste and burn,
He was the subject of the song “turn, turn, turn”…
if you can ID this fair man please make haste and drop a dime,
also know that this great equalizer’s name must rhyme with rhyme.
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 1986-2018. Alan Salé
PoetryByAlan.com
Who has Awaken the Children?
It was one silent night
without even a peep,
the kids had said ‘goodnight,’
asked lord their souls to keep,
for to God they would always kneel down and confide
finding after their prayers their loud echoes had died
then being tucked in
and then sleeping tight
and then all evening
avoiding the bite.
Then suddenly came
the rain,
striking in awe,
the yawning
awning.
Drowning droplets,
in pain,
irritated
and now irrigated.
He took them by surprise
when he opened the door;
while over them he stood
as he started to pour.
And after all of his tears
had fallen and dried…
the cries vanquished the fears
of the torment inside.
Now with lightened souls
and redefined roles
from a calm so deep…
all the children
laid buried, in sleep.
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 1986-2018. Alan Salé
PoetryByAlan.com
My guess too is time